--P.J. Carlesimo witnessed Utah coach Jerry Sloan notching his 1,000th win with the Jazz on Friday night. Sloan has been at the Jazz helm for 20 years. San Antonio's Gregg Popovich, with 633 wins, is the only current coach that appears to have a realistic chance of hitting 1,000 with the same team.

Carlesimo said there is a lesson to be learned by owners and general managers.

"When you have somebody good, stay with him," he said. "Instead of playing musical chairs all the time. Again, you have to have somebody good.

"I'm not saying every team in the league should stick with a coach for 20 years, but it's a lesson in having a system and believing with it. I think you see it San Antonio right now. You see it here (in Utah)."

--Utah on the road Friday started a stretch of six games in nine days for the Thunder, including five next week. P.J. Carlesimo, sensing a need to conserve energy, held a one-hour practice Thursday and will probably give the players Saturday off.

"November, in general, is tough for most teams with a bunch of games," Carlesimo said. "We're looking at people to see if they're playing at a level we can put them in a game. Some guys looked better, some guys didn't. It will come down to people who've been getting minutes how they're playing."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "The number is ridiculous to think about how long you've got to be in one place. Forget about how many games you have to win a year to get to it." -- P.J. Carlesimo on Jerry Sloan winning 1,000 games with one team.